Minimally invasive surgical techniques are aimed at reducing the amount of extraneous tissue that is damaged during diagnostic or surgical procedures, thereby reducing patient recovery time, discomfort, and deleterious side effects. As a consequence, the average length of a hospital stay for standard surgery may be shortened significantly using minimally invasive surgical techniques. Also, patient recovery times, patient discomfort, surgical side effects, and time away from work may also be reduced with minimally invasive surgery.
A common form of minimally invasive surgery is endoscopy, and a common form of endoscopy is laparoscopy, which is minimally invasive inspection and/or surgery inside the abdominal cavity. Reloadable stapling devices can be used in conjunction with these surgeries. The jaws of such stapling devices can include mechanisms for carrying and operating cutting devices that are separate from removable stapling cartridges. Repeated use however, can impede operation of such mechanisms due to wear, malfunctions, and tissue and staple intrusion.